HOLIDAYS: Christmas 2011: Biggest day ever for app downloads -- There were nearly a quarter of a billion app downloads on Christmas this year, a record. By Matt Brownell, The Street
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x987652149/Christmas-2011-Biggest-Day-Ever-for-App-Downloads

TECH: Angry Birds top app of 2011: poll -- Readers name uber popular Angry Birds as their favorite app of the year. By Olivia Oran, The Street
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x1895999604/Angry-Birds-Top-App-of-2011-Poll

Find more news from The Street at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business

Lifestyles

-BEST OF 2011--
See more at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/holidays_seasonal/new_year

SHOESTRING LIVING: Be grateful every day - I’m a changed woman these days, and working hard to make sure that my kids don’t ever experience anything but gratitude for the blessings they have and receive. Here’s how to get a handle on your own gratitude. By Molly Logan Anderson.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x874347288/Shoestring-Living-Be-grateful-every-day
* Column is moving early because of the holiday.

SUZETTE MARTINEZ STANDRING: The spiritual seeding of dreams - The new year arrives when the plant kingdom is dormant and animals tuck themselves away in silence. Our inner lives should follow such suit. Winter is not supposed to be the time for taking action, but for dreaming. It is a time for reflecting on lessons learned. By Suzette Martinez Standring, The Patriot Ledger.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1282427139/Suzette-Martinez-Standring-The-spiritual-seeding-of-dreams

LOOKING UP: Enjoy the brilliant winter moon - The moon is growing (waxing) toward full moon on Jan. 9. First-quarter moon is on the 1st of January; each night this week the gibbous phase will expand, ever-brightening. By Peter Becker, Hawley, Pa.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/home_and_garden/x1819702177/Looking-Up-Enjoy-the-brilliant-winter-moon

JEFF VRABEL: White Castle gets better – not that it had to - White Castle is considering expanding its current roster of menu offerings (Gruel, Gruel On Bun, Gruel On Bun Feat. Chili, etc.) to include beer and/or wine. Now, first of all, why this is needed is a mystery. White Castle, of course, is a brand that needs no improvement, no upgrading, no bridge to the 21st century. By Jeff Vrabel, GHNS.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/x1569729781/Jeff-Vrabel-White-Castle-gets-better-not-that-it-had-to
* Column is moving early because of the holiday.

KENT BUSH: New Year's resolutions make sense - A new year keeps us looking forward and not living in the past. It forces us to start over. By Kent Bush, Augusta, Kan.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/holidays/x1980206012/Kent-Bush-New-Years-resolutions-make-sense
* Poll idea: Ask readers if they make a New Year's resolution.

JOYCE ROTHMAN: A new year and a new way of living with cancer - When cancer reflects on the new year, will it lighten or darken my days to come? Right now, I’m feeling OK but what if my health worsens? It may. Or it may not and as much as I’m trying to sway the outcome, I don’t know if I’ll be successful. By Joyce Rothman, GHNS.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1569730151/Joyce-Rothman-A-new-year-and-a-new-way-of-living-with-cancer

More in home and family at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle

Entertainment

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: The Readers’ Writers: Award-winning author and illustrator Sheila Kelly Welch - Sheila Kelly Welch is an artist, both in literature and on canvas. Her visual interpretations of other authors’ work have appeared in children’s books such as “Something in the Air” by Molly Jones and Leone Castell Anderson’s widely read historical novels “Sean’s War” and “Sean’s Quest.” She has also illustrated her own stories for Cricket, Spider, Ladybug and Cicada magazines. By DA Kentner, Freeport, Ill.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/entertainment/x1282426452/The-Readers-Writers-Award-winning-author-and-illustrator-Sheila-Kelly-Welch

READERS GUIDE: World computer systems are threatened by a virus in ‘Worm‘ - Mark Bowden, the author of "Black Hawk Down," delves into an entirely different kind of war in his latest book. It's a war probably very few people knew was being fought. The Conficker malware surfaced in late 2008, rapidly infecting as many as 12 million computers in 200 countries. Even the networks of large corporations and governments weren't safe. Bowden follows the men and women who were in the vanguard of "the first digital World War" in "Worm.” By Susie Stooksbury, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/entertainment/x1569729853/Readers-Guide-World-computer-systems-are-threatened-by-a-virus-in-Worm

MOVIE MAN: Check out the best discs of 2011 - This year, the best new DVDs were often old movies — restored, rejuvenated and re-released to film geeks (like myself) eager to explore cinema history. Of course, there was some noteworthy new stuff, too, including several excellent documentaries. By Will Pfeifer, Rockford, Ill.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/entertainment/x1980207038/Movie-Man-Check-out-the-best-discs-of-2011

2011 MOVIES STORY: Movie remakes stole the show in 2011 - The calendar may have read 2011, but many of the best movies of the past year felt like blasts from Hollywood’s glorious past. By Al Alexander, The Patriot Ledger.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/entertainment/x1980206061/Movie-remakes-stole-the-show-in-2011
* Ask readers to send in their lists of the top movies of the year (and/or the worst movies of the year)

2011 MOVIES LIST: The best and worst of 2011 films - It wasn’t the best year for movies, but it was an interesting one. Here’s a look back at the picks, pans and ponderings from cinema 2011. By Al Alexander, The Patriot Ledger.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/entertainment/x550236601/The-best-and-worst-of-2011-films

2011 MOVIES UNDER THE RADAR: Films not on everybody’s top 2011 list - Unlike so many of my fellow critics, I thought 2011 was a banner year for great movies, both from big studios and from little indies. By Ed Symkus, The Patriot Ledger.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/entertainment/x545139883/Films-not-on-everybody-s-top-2011-list

More in music and movies at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/entertainment

EDITORIAL: Welcome home, troops - From its beginning, Iraq was a different kind of war, its benchmarks difficult to measure. The long war’s end comes with no more certainty. In the nine years since the war began, The United States has sacrificed greatly: 4,485 American lives lost and $1 trillion of treasure spent with little return. No one has sacrificed more than those who fought it. By Herald News, Mass.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/editorials/x1569729863/Editorial-Welcome-home-troops

JARED OLAR: Not much is fair about FAIR - You know, I don’t think the California legislature really thought this one through. Come New Year’s Day, the “Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act” (FAIR) will take effect in California. The new law introduces several significant changes in the California Education Code, and, despite what the law’s absurdly ostentatious name might lead you to expect, not all of those changes are bad. By Jared Olar, Pekin, Ill.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/opinions/x545140897/Jared-Olar-Not-much-is-fair-about-FAIR

More columns and cartoons at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions

Business / auto

GREG ZYLA: BMW’s Isetta 250/300 ‘bubble car’ - It’s hard to imagine that in 1958, a tiny BMW Isetta known as the “bubble car” saved the company. Mercedes-Benz was ready to pounce on the financially strapped BMW, which had done well with its motorcycles but struggled with car sales. By Greg Zyla.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x435681939/Greg-Zyla-BMW-s-Isetta-250-300-bubble-car
* Column is moving early because of the holiday.

AUTO BITS: How to take the stress out of your daily commute - Weekly auto rail, with tips on your commute, Car Q&A with Junior Damato and more. By GHNS.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/x550232034/Auto-Bits-How-to-take-the-stress-out-of-your-daily-commute
* Localization tip: You can do a Q&A with a local mechanic, or have a mechanic (or mechanics) provide you with a tip of the week. * File is moving early because of the holiday.

More in tech and finance at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business

Sports

GEORGE LITTLE: Resolved - I'm going hunting Jan. 1 - If you believe your New Year’s Day activities could have an impact on the remainder of the year, it’s a good idea to hunt your best spot Sunday. Getting shut out on Jan. 1 might not bode well for 2012. By George Little, Springfield, Ill.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1569728100/George-Little-Resolved-Im-going-hunting-Jan-1

More in NFL and outdoors at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/sports